4£
Application No.
Applicant(s)
10/719,357
CRAFTS, HAROLD
S.
Notice of Allowability
Examiner
Art Unit
Binh C. Tat
2825
The MAILING DATE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address-
All claims being allowable, PROSECUTION ON THE MERITS IS (OR REMAINS) CLOSED in this application. If not included
herewith (or previously mailed), a Notice of Allowance (PTOL-85) or other appropriate communication will be mailed in due course. THIS
NOTICE OF ALLOWABILITY IS NOT A GRANT OF PATENT RIGHTS. This application is subject to withdrawal from issue at the initiative
of the Office or upon petition by the applicant. See 37 CFR 1.313 and MPEP 1308.
1 . ^ This communication is responsive to ) 1/09/06 .
2. E<] The allowed claim(s) is/are 14.
3. □ Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 1 1 9(a)-(d) or (f).
a) □ All b) □ Some* c) □ None of the:
1. □ Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
2. □ Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. .
3. □ Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this national stage application from the
International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
* Certified copies not received: .
Applicant has THREE MONTHS FROM THE "MAILING DATE" of this communication to file a reply complying with the requirements
noted below. Failure to timely comply will result in ABANDONMENT of this application.
THIS THREE-MONTH PERIOD IS NOT EXTENDABLE.
4. □ A SUBSTITUTE OATH OR DECLARATION must be submitted. Note the attached EXAMINER'S AMENDMENT or NOTICE OF
INFORMAL PATENT APPLICATION (PTO-152) which gives reason(s) why the oath or declaration is deficient.
5. □ CORRECTED DRAWINGS ( as "replacement sheets") must be submitted.
(a) □ including changes required by the Notice of Draftsperson's Patent Drawing Review ( PTO-948) attached
1) □ hereto or 2) □ to Paper No./Mail Date .
(b) □ including changes required by the attached Examiner's Amendment / Comment or in the Office action of
Paper No./Mail Date .
Identifying indicia such as the application number (see 37 CFR 1.84(c)) should be written on the drawings in the front (not the back) of
each sheet. Replacement sheet(s) should be labeled as such in the header according to 37 CFR 1.121(d).
6. □ DEPOSIT OF and/or INFORMATION about the deposit of BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL must be submitted. Note the
attached Examiner's comment regarding REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEPOSIT OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL.
Attach ment(s)
1 . □ Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
2. □ Notice of Draftperson's Patent Drawing Review (PTO-948)
3. ^Information Disclosure Statements (PTO/SB/08), ,
Paper NoVMail Date n/Z// o3 , IffOtfo^ / o^Ot/^
4. □ Examiner's Comment Regarding Requirement for Deposit
of Biological Material
5. □ Notice of Informal Patent Application
6. S Interview Summary (PTO-413),
Paper No./Mail Date 11/21/06 .
7. M Examiner's Amendment/Comment
8. ^ Examiner's Statement of Reasons for Allowance
9. □ Other
i \ . v n
SUPERVISE
CHIANG
!Y PATENT EXAMINER
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
PTOL-37 (Rev. 08-06)
Notice of Allowability
Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20061121
Application/Control Number: 1 0/7 1 9,357 Page 2
Art Unit: 2825
DETAILED ACTION
EXAMINER'S AMENDMENT
An examiner's amendment to the record appears below. Should the changes and/or
additions be unacceptable to applicant, an amendment may be filed as provided by 37 CFR
1.312. To ensure consideration of such an amendment, it MUST be submitted no later than the
payment of the issue fee.
Authorization for this examiner's amendment was given in a telephone interview with
Mr. William Vobach (Reg. No. 3941 1) on 1 1/21/06.
The application has been amended as follow:
Claims 15-16 have been canceled.
Claim 14 line 2, change "having a row pitch and spacing between cells in at least one row
of said standard cell array" to — , wherein said rows of cells have a row pitch defining the
spacing between said row of cells and wherein at least one row of said standard cell array
comprises spacing between cells in said at least one row-.
Claim 14 line 3, change "and a MACRO, embedded within the standard cell array,
comprising rows of cells having pitch substantially equal to the row pitch" to ~
a MACRO embedded within said standard cell array, wherein said MACRO
comprises rows of cells having a MACRO row pitch substantially equal to said row pitch
of said standard cell array and wherein said MACRO comprises a predetermined layout;
a power bus Vdd feeding cells of said MACRO and said standard cell array;
a power bus Vss feeding cells of said MACRO and said standard cell array;
Application/Control Number: 1 0/7 1 9,357 Page 3
Art Unit: 2825
wherein said power busses Vdd and Vss are aligned to said cells of said MACRO
and aligned to said cells of said standard cell array-.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
1. Claim 14 is allowed because the prior art does not teach or suggest a integrated
circuit, comprising: a standard cell array comprising rows of cells, wherein said rows of cells
have a row pitch defining the spacing between said row of cells and wherein at least one row of
said standard cell array comprises spacing between cells in said at least one row; a MACRO
embedded within said standard cell array, wherein said MACRO comprises rows of cells having
a MACRO row pitch substantially equal to said row pitch of said standard cell array and
wherein said MACRO comprises a predetermined layout with the combination of all other
features corresponding to the independent claim.
2. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the
payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue
fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled "Comments on Statement of Reasons for
Allowance".
Application/Control Number: 10/719,357
Art Unit: 2825
Page 4
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
examiner should be directed to Binh C. Tat whose telephone number is 571 272-1908. The
examiner can normally be reached on 7:30 - 4:00 (M-F).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
supervisor, Jack Chiang can be reached on 571 272-7483. The fax phone number for the
organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent
Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications
may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished
applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR
system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR
system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
Tat Binh
Patent Examiner
November 21, 2006